Common Mistakes That Slowly Ruin Your Teeth

• Using your teeth as tools

A good number of people will not hesitate to use teeth to bite their nails or tear a tag on their shirt. Using the teeth as tools will pose a high risk of cracking and chipping teeth. The consequences are pain, tooth loss and high cost dental treatment. Teeth are only meant to cut and chew food.

• Going to bed without brushing

At the end of a long and tiring day it is tempting to skip that final brush. With all the food and sugar accumulated on teeth during the day, bacteria will be growing and doubling every twenty minutes. The by-product from these bacteria will be acid that causes tooth cavities and gum inflammation.

• Not flossing on a daily basis

Since your toothbrush cannot reach between teeth, you must floss once every day to remove the bacteria that accumulate there. Flossing will reach those hard-to-reach areas disrupting and reducing the bacteria that lead to gum disease.

• Not keeping regular dental appointments

Dental checkups are important in helping to maintain healthy teeth and prevent dental problems. Failure to visit the dentist for checkups will mean that any problems cannot be spotted early must progress . Failure to have regular cleaning with the hygienist will lead to the accumulation of tartar which causes gum disease.

• Ignoring the tongue

A thick coating on the tongue’s surface is a good breeding ground for bacteria. You should brush that tongue to ensure a clean and healthy mouth. You can use your toothbrush and some toothpaste to clean the tongue without special tongue-cleaning utensils.

• Playing sports without protection

Adults and Children should wear a mouth guard when playing sports that risk damage to their teeth. The highest risk sports for dental injury are hockey, rugby, gymnastics basketball and football. Most sports injuries heal but dental sports injuries are different. Dentists can repair  the damage but the effects and the need for repeated re-repairs last a lifetime.

• Putting off dental pain

Ignoring the first signs of dental pain will only exacerbate existent problems. Infections will fester and become worse, cavities will grow larger and the pain will increase exponentially. Visit your dentist for prompt intervention before irreversible damage occurs.